The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
‘Seepage, uneven construction, rusted fittings’: Luxury flat allottees write to DDA
WHEN, IN November 2023, (Retd.) Brigadier Sujit Narain heard that the DDA was coming up with a project featuring luxury flats – a first-of-its-kind for the authority – he thought his search for a retirement home had come to an end. He had already burnt his hands in a housing project, the builder of which declared bankruptcy, and aDD A flat seemed like a safe bet: After all, it was “government housing”. But soon he realised that he would now have to deal with new concerns, just like many other buyers.
Narain is among the allottees who have written to the Delhi Development au th or ity(dda) on April 8 pointing out discrepancies such as uneven construction, rusting iron fittings and seepage issues in the under-construction project at Dwarka, Sector 19-B.
Allottees said soon after the bidding process, they began to notice issues in the construction quality. Walking into the semiconstructed apartment society, one of the first things that caught their eye was a wall-clad tile lying shattered on the floor, revealing patchy, pockmarked cement underneath. With pipes and iron reinforcements gathering rust, some alleged that older fittings could have been put in use.
Furthermore, shafts with unfinished walls and plastering already had pipes installed in them. “Then you'll see creepers and plants, banyan shoots growing out of them because the water keeps accumulating in the joints of the pipes,” said Rishish Jha, an HIG allottee who works as a civil engineer.
RERA rap
Prior to this, the allottees were dismayed to find out that the complex had not been registered under the Real Estate Regulations Authority (RERA). RERA ultimately registered the Golf View Condos after the DDA submitted a complete application on March 15. Registration was eventually completed on April 2 after RERA'S repeated interventions. It also instructed the DDA to establish an escrow account to safeguard allottees' funds. Additionally, while the DDA'S brochure had initially promised project completion by June 2024, it has now informed RERA that the deadline may extend to October 2024.
A double whammy
"They've marketed the flats so well but the quality of work has left us wanting,” said Sonu Garg, an HIG flat owner. During the first phase of bidding, the highest bid for HIG flats went up to Rs 3 crore, Super-hig flats up to Rs 4.5 crore and penthouses up to Rs 5.76 crore.
“We have paid 75% of the amount already...our loan EMIS get deducted and we pay rent on top of that. Almost 70% of my income goes in this,” said Vikrant Khattar, another HIG flat owner.
What deepens their worries is the possibility that they will most likely not get the possession of their homes by June, as promised by the DDA in the brochures.
On a recent visit, The Indian Express noticed paint and plaster peeling from the ceiling due to seepage, while metal conduits used for wiring lay exposed in some walls, already rusting. “They are not curing the cement by soaking it in water. Either they should cure the cement or they should use self-curing cement...these are problems that show up in buildings 20-25 years after construction,” said Jha, the civil engineer, as he effortlessly crushed bits of cement off a wall between his fingers.
Inresponse,addaspokesperson said: “The Golf View Condos in 19B were offered for sale after providing full access to all prospective customers. Camps were organised to further enable the process. All customers participated vigorously after having seen and selected their choice of apartment. DDA shall stand by its history of providing quality accommodation to all its customers.”